Growth.

Hello again, dear lady friends. Just wanted to offer my deepest apologies at the insane lack of posting going on around here. As I've mentioned previously, we've been steeped in talk about some new and exciting developments on the work-front: my husband (so excited for you, love!!) has been given the opportunity to take on a 3 month construction project in the city of Dubai! It's the kind of prospect that comes around once in a lifetime, and G-d willing this will prove to be a giant turning point in his career. As you can imagine, there was lots and lots of talk around the whole deal; arrangements and terms that worked for the both of us (mostly lots of my terms - all about keeping the Mama happy!!), time frames for traveling, and planning a summer schedule that would work out best for all of us. With everything now (generally) settled, and the man of the house flying out on Monday morning, I've been taking advantage of our last summer week together in LA and we've been spending late nights out together on the town this past week - leaving me less than ample time for blogging and posting. :)

Frieda and I will be jetting out next week for some old-school family time at my parent's home in Skokie, and we'll be joining my sister and her kids there as well. At the end of the month the Mr. will be meeting up with us there for a week's visit (already looking forward!!). At which point, Freida and I will either join him in returning to Dubai for the remaining 6 weeks, or head with my sister to her home in Arizona. (I guess it all depends on how things there are going for him, and on how much anxiety I will have at the prospect of landing in the UAE.)

Meanwhile, Freida has been developing quite the green thumb! Amidst talking about all this growth in business, Freida and I have been discovering lots of green and lots of growth. Aside from all the in-garden exploration, I took her along to explore our local nursery (I was in desperate need of a purifying house plant, and a colorful kitchen plant). She had a great time discussing the different species with me, amiably questioning the Botanists, and was overjoyed to discover the vegetable and herb section!

Sometimes the best way to learn is via a tiny, local field trip. :)

Here's to growth - in whatever form it takes in life. Business, personal, or biological... growth is integral to life and must remain constant!

Summering

Happy, happy Summer time!! Wishing all you mamas heaps of glorious sunshine, golden tan lines (even through that SPF), graceful summer sunsets, and a generous amount of do-nothing relaxation moments!

I can't get over how much Freida grows each summer!! I love when each season ends and another begins; watching life, and change, and growth. It makes me so appreciative of every healthy happy moment....!

I hope you are all whittling down your Summer Bucket List! I've been working on mine, but we are on the precipice of some (gigantic and exciting!) new developments around here which will change around my schedule, location, and planning quite a bit... But here are some of the things I was planning on knocking out this Summer:

- Tim Burton Exhibit at LACMA

- Building an outdoor sandbox

- A Sunday spent on a boat at Sea

- Date-night BBQ on the beach

- Street Art Exhibit at MOCA

- A Sunday hiking Torry Pines Reserve + dinner in San Diego

- Homemade fresh strawberry sorbet

If you're still needing some more Summery-goodness inspiration, check out this awe-inspiring Summer Bucket List from Meg!!

Shout-out to the Daddies!!

Happiest Father's Day to all you fantastical Daddies out there!!

It took me about 4 years to finally realize that the DaddyFroo in this house is not as keen on the sweet breakfasts (french toast, waffles, pancakes, cream etc.) as he would greatly prefer a savory spread. That's what he got this morning. Sunny sides on french baguettes, smoked salmon, garlic and herb butter, muenster cheese, tomatos, basil etc.. Apparently I have been found guilty of committing the all-too-popular male-crime of assuming my spouse liked what I liked. This breakthrough breakfast tray puts us in a better place. :)

We all know the secrets to a happy man: food. (Plus some other more interactive things.) So showing them some yearly gratitude is easy as pie. Or in our case, rye.

Freida usually enjoys the cooking part of breakfast time, so I opted to get her involved in some other ways this year (since we were skipping all that pancake flipping!). We've been working on sprucing up Daddy's workspace (his looks rather drab now that mine is decked out!). We made a simple little framed handprint, wrapped it in newsprint, and topped with a paper tie!

Shout-out to all you wonderfully helpful and happy husbands!! We could never do this job without you!!!

Garden Omelettes

Amidst frolicking and languishing in the Berkowitz garden while learning lessons of earth and of growth came the inevitable wondrous time of harvesting. Freida has been watching those leeks since they were planted there in the first place, has eyed their tiny forest-green sprouts suspiciously, and has brushed past their long and gangly leaves for weeks now - glancing fairly briefly to marvel at their uselessness only to make a beeline for those sweet pea pods. Until, that is, Estee announced that the leeks were viable, and generously offered them for the pickings. I've always loved leeks, mostly in soups, but after harvesting a few of these organic babies - I'm hooked in a variety of ways!

Freida carried those big green onions out of the garden, through the backyard and into the car. But upon arriving at home and dragging the greens through the house to the kitchen she just couldn't get over how the leek in full seemed to be even bigger than her! Little did she know we'd actually just be salvaging a few measly (but flavorful!) inches off the bottom.

We proceeded to peel off the outer layers and wash and clean them (they tend to get rather sandy in between the skins). Freida just has fun messing around and pretending with her wooden knife and board...

I roughly chopped the white and light green parts + some fresh parsley and sautéed them in some extra virgin olive oil. Then I added a few beaten eggs, a dash of salt and a grind of pepper.

Add a slice of toast + some butter and jam, and we got ourselves a totally fantastic fresh-from-the-ground lunch!!

The omelet was kid-approved , and it was such a wonderful way to introduce her to a new food. She got a serious kick out of the fact that we pulled it from the ground, cooked it in the kitchen, and ate it for lunch. She had a very good nap afterward. :)

Also, aside from the fact that it's great for children to learn where food actually comes from, feasting on food fresh from the earth means that all the nutrients are that much more viable and in turn that much more valuable. The difference between the nutrients found in produce that was picked weeks ago and transported a long way by many different forms of travel and the nutrients found in fresh-farmed, organic, local produce is unequivocal. That should help legitimize prices at the Farmer's Markets - you get much more bang for your buck!!

Cupcake Liner Flowers

Cupcake liner flowers are sure an oldie, but a goodie. My husband spent yesterday morning doing this little flower craft with Freida while I turned up the kitchen heat. We used pastel colored cupcake liners, Do-A-Dots, and pipe cleaners. The dots bled onto the cupcake paper and created a totally rad watercolor-tie-dye effect. Freida may be used to crafts, but she has been über-excited about the concept of Mount Sinai suddenly sprouting grass and flowers on-demand and so she simply stoked to get in on the action! Plus, since she kept trying to smell them, I let her spritz them up with some body splash which really seemed to up the fun factor. I weighed down a ceramic bud vase with some marbles (so it wouldn't tip as easily), and now I've got some cute and colorful florals that make me smile and make her feel proud and involved in the festivities! The home fragrance is just a bonus. :)

It's such an easy almost-mess-free activity, that it'd be the perfect thing to occupy the little ones while you finish off in the kitchen tomorrow...